freezing

HB and I love pine nuts. If you follow my blog, you will know that we add them to as many recipes as we can. One of my favorite snacks is a handful of these wonderfully tasting toasted nuts. Toasting brings out the savory flavors found within these delicious morsels.

We usually buy our raw shelled pine nuts in a 1.5 lb bag from Costco. Spread them out on a cookie sheet. Place in a preheated 325 F oven and toast for 12-13 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Place cooled pine nuts in a freezer bag and they should stay fresh for about 6 months (we always run out of them before six months is up!)

There are so many ways to experiment with pine nuts. We add them to our egg scramble and grilled cheese sandwiches… pretty much everything is better with pine nuts! And an added bonus… they’re super nutritious! How do you use your pine nuts other than in pesto? As always, I welcome your comments!

Just less than two weeks ago the annual Peach Festival took place in Palisade, Colorado. We discovered the lushness of these peaches a couple years ago while driving home from Denver on Interstate 70. Palisade is located seven miles east of Grand Junction. Each year we look forward to the Palisade peach harvest.

Most of my friends can their peaches, but we prefer freezing them.

The secret to keeping the flesh of your frozen peaches bright and fresh all winter long is orange juice. Just cut your peaches in half, leaving the skin on. Remove the pit and then dip just the flesh side into the orange juice.

Place the halved peaches on a cookie sheet flesh side up and freeze until hard. Once frozen, place them in a freezer bag (it’s always a good idea to mark the date on the bag).

I usually use a half peach in my daily smoothie. We froze six 18-lb. boxes, which should also yield plenty of peaches for pies and cobblers during the winter. If you place the frozen peach under warm water, the skin will peel easily; they’re now ready to be used in your favorite peach recipe – and most importantly retaining the vibrant fresh peach color!

I hope you’ll try this… it’s great if you have the freezer space, and so much quicker than canning. Not that I don’t love a good canned peach; I’ve done my share of many a jar in my life!

About Me

I'm a mom of 7, grandma of 14. I have loved every stage of my life! My chief cook is my best friend and sweetheart, Brent (I call him HB). I love to teach, write, read, eat, travel and swim!
I'd love to hear from you. Email me jani{at}janiserendipity.com